HAMAS HAILS MLADENOV’S STOPOVER IN GAZA, PUSHES FOR LIFTING SIEGE

Gaza, 12 Rajab 1436/1 May 2015 (MINA) – Hamas hailed the visit paid by Nikolay Mladenov, the UN’s recently-appointed envoy for the Middle East peace process, to the blockaded Gaza Strip, branding the stopover a step in the right direction.

Hamas expressed hopes that the UN delegation would discern on-the-spot proofs of Israeli crimes and the perilous repercussions of the tough blockade imposed on the people of Gaza for eight uninterrupted years.

Hamas called on Mladenov to urgently work on lifting the siege, taking a tougher line against Israeli crimes, unblocking the border crossings, and boosting reconstruction, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA), as reporting.

Mladenov arrived in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday via the Israeli-controlled Erez border crossing in his first visit to the blockaded coastal enclave since his appointment two months ago.

Mladenov held a round of separate meetings with representatives of popular and civil organizations along with businessman and private investors.

Earlier, on Tuesday, he met the Palestinian Authority Chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat, was appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in February to replace Robert Serry, a Dutch diplomat who sponsored a controversial reconstruction plan for Gaza following a devastating Israeli military offensive last summer. (T/P011/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)